The Joy of Free-Lunching
I’ve discovered there is such a thing as a free lunch! Anything that’s free – particularly if it’s edible – sees me first in the queue. I am now a dedicated ‘free-luncher’.
The most useful thing I’ve picked up from free-lunching is using up leftovers at lunchtime. Every night I forage through the fridge to make the kids’ lunchboxes. Normally there is something left over from supper, or the weekend’s dinner, that can be transformed into a far more exciting alternative than the usual cheese sandwiches. Lunch is now a bit of an event in our house!
Wrap it up…
My secret weapon is the humble wrap. They take just a minute or two to defrost straight from the freezer – I tend to keep them in there for emergencies, so there is always something to put leftovers in. Spread them with mayo – the glue which keeps everything all together – and then grate over some carrot or toss in some shredded lettuce. You can hide all sorts in wraps, like the tired remnants of a salad or a spoonful of beans. I pick out the bits of meat from leftover casseroles and curries, or slice up cold sausages and burgers, add the last slice of ham, a couple of prawns, or the odd bit of cheese. If I can get it in a wrap, you can bet it will turn up in somebody’s lunchbox the next day.
Free-lunch in private…
I am a bit selective about which leftovers I allow my family to have in their lunchboxes. Not because they are fussy, but because I tend to earmark the best ones for myself and hide them at the back of the fridge behind the orange juice. You don’t have to go out to work to free-lunch. If you work at home like I do, you can free-lunch in private! I have a secret thing for shepherd’s pie, smeared thickly on to toast and topped with grated cheese. The joy of free-lunching at home is that nobody gives me funny looks about my choice of food combinations and I get to use a proper metal fork, rather than one of those ridiculous plastic ones.
Great for lunch recipes…
Vegetable Lasagne
Broccoli Stalk Soup
Leek & Broccoli Mini Muffins
Beef & Bean Salad
My son has always been very particular about what he’ll eat, and packing him a school lunch of leftovers is actually easier than trying to come up with new ideas of what to feed him. I’ve also given him an allowance that he has to use for food he buys for lunch and snacks which, because he is saving up for a ski pass, is great incentive for him to bring his lunch from home. So I get reassured he’s eating well, we’re not wasting food and he’s saving money. We all win!
[...] cousin takes a packed lunch to work every day. I make it for her when I am doing the kids’ lunchboxes. (Family duty prevents me from telling her to move out of my spare room and make her own flaming [...]